himself. It had been a simple touch to his face, how in God’s name did he decipher so much from that caress. “But a lady in the guise of a man would indeed summate to a ruse worth protecting.”
Peering down at the body on his bed, he detected no womanly shape. Bindings were not miraculous cloths. He sat on the edge of the bed and slowly undid the neckcloth. Wentworth allowed his fingers to tease at the buttons, battling the urge to undo them.
To take such advantage of his valet felt wrong, yet curiosity beat at him in unrelenting waves. He touched Julian’s chin, noting the soft, silky texture of his valet’s skin.
What if I should undo these buttons and find a woman…what would I do? A hot, urgent feeling coiled low in his gut, and he released a shaky breath. Bloody hell, his thoughts and urges were that of a damn scoundrel.
His valet batted his hand away and muttered, turning onto his side. Wentworth sighed. He had never behaved in an ungentlemanly fashion before. But he was tempted to do so now by rolling Julian over and removing his neckcloth and shirt to reveal what was underneath.
Surely there were other methods for finding out if his valet was really a woman pretending to be a gentleman. A burst of thrill went through him, and he stood and walked over to the small writing table and chair near the fire and sat.
Any sort of experiment tended to invigorate Wentworth’s blood. Retrieving one of his unused journals, he opened it, dipped the quill into the inkwell, and carefully outline his research with factual details.
Problem: I find my valet attractive, but I am not bent toward the opposite sex. His speech is well mannered and eloquent, showing education above that of a valet, and his mannerisms are effeminate.
Hypothesis: The valet is a lady in disguise.
Method: Whether in disguise or not, a lady should not be able to hide her reflex reactions. A campaign to shock the valet’s senses will be undertaken while observing her reactions to certain improprieties.
Have my valet aid me in my bath. A keen observation must be made when certain areas are being washed.
I shall engage my valet in conversation regarding the fairer sex.
I shall attempt to get remarkably close and try to steal a kiss. Any man or boy should recoil.
Predictions:I expect my valet should heavily blush and avoid eye contact, and faint or flee when faced with touching of any kind with a man. She should also have heavy uncontrolled breathing, an evident blush, and possibly a feminine fragrance when her personal space is invaded.
Analysis: I shall record my observations in a journal entry after each test.
Conclusion: If my valet is not a lady, I shall chalk up my reactions to the man’s rear as a lapse in judgment. However, if the man is indeed a woman, the question needs to be answered, why does a lady who seems to bear me no ill will need to disguise herself as my valet? And what am I to do about this stubborn attraction?
Chapter 5
Juliana stirred slowly awake, then sharply inhaled with awareness. The earl was in her chamber. She smelled his uniquely masculine fragrance. Juliana shifted, tugging the sheets closer to her nose and inhaled deeply. She jolted, and her eyes flew open. Her sheets were not this soft and sweetly scented, her mattress was not so comfortable! With a jolting sense of shock, Juliana realized she was in the earl’s chamber…and in his bed. She lurched upright, her heart pounding a fierce rhythm.
A quick glance revealed she was still dressed, but her boots had been removed, along with her jacket, and her neckcloth loosened. Oh! She swung her gaze wildly about the room, and then gasped, her hand fluttering to her chest.
“I am in my bathing chamber, Julian,” the earl’s voice drawled. “And you’re to attend to me.”
How was this possible? “Why am I in your bed, my lord?”
She swallowed. Her voice had come out as a squeak and not the low husky murmur she practiced.
“You got intoxicated last night. I could not leave you on the floor of the library.”
“Drunk?” A vague memory of him inviting her to drink with him floated through her thoughts. She felt a leaden weight settle in her stomach, and Juliana covered her face with her hands. How could she have been so foolish?
“Yes, do you not recall the events of last night?”
The amused predatory way he said that had her